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Site description (2003 baseline):
Site location and context
The IBA comprises of Kirirom National Park, together with a contiguous area of natural habitat to the west. The topography of the national park is dominated by a low massif, which rises sharply from the surrounding, densely populated lowlands to 900 m asl. The most extensive vegetation type within the national park is natural coniferous forest dominated by Pinus merkusii and with an open, grassy understorey, which is distributed on an undulating plateau, at approximately 700 m asl. The national park also supports semi-evergreen forest, and, at lower elevations, mixed deciduous forest and deciduous dipterocarp forest. There are many small streams within the national park and several artificial lakes but no major rivers. The contiguous area of natural habitat to the west of the national park is within a forest concession, under the management of Samling International. This area comprises extensive semi-evergreen forest with smaller patches of coniferous forest, distributed on a series of steep hills, which rise to over 800 m asl. The area is drained by a number of small streams, which feed two larger rivers. As a result of habitat degradation and unsustainable hunting pressure, the avifauna of the IBA is less intact than that of a number of other sites in the Elephant and Cardamom Mountains. However, the IBA is the only site in Cambodia from where there are records of Brown Hornbill Anorrhinus tickelli. In addition, Lesser Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga humilis occurs along the rivers in the area to the west of the national park, and there are unconfirmed records of Chestnut-headed Partridge Arborophila cambodiana.
Eight Woodpecker species and two nuthatch species are found together in the pure pine forest. Wreathed Hornbill occurs in the important flocks outside the breeding season and the first record for the country of the GNT Brown Hornbill.
Non-bird biodiversity: Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis), Bear Macaque (Macaca arctoides), Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina), Silvered Langur (Semnopithecus cristatus), Pileated Gibbon (Hylobates pileatus), Slow Loris (Nycticebus coucang).Elongated Tortoise (Indotestudo elongata).Black Pine (Pinus merkusiiAsian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Southern Serow (Naemorhedus sumatraensis).
The main habitat degradation in the dry season is fires which are widspread and intensive over all the pine forest. Familial scale logging is the livelihood of the majority of the families living in Tayang commune. Hunting still occurs in the Park.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Almost all areas of natural habitat within the IBA have been degraded to some extent by former and on-going human activities. A road was built to the summit of Kirirom during the French colonial period and holiday resorts and a tea plantation were established there. The semi-evergreen forest within the IBA has been severely affected by commercial timber extraction, both legal and illegal. Hunting is another threat to biodiversity at the IBA, and has resulted in the eradication of a number of species, including Green Peafowl Pavo muticus and Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis. Furthermore, the forest around the edges of the IBA is being encroached by illegal settlers, who convert forest to agricultural land.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
Recommendations- Current ranger patrolling and enforcement initiatives in Kirirom National Park focused on illegal activities (hunting and logging) should be continued and increased to cover all important areas.- In the area under concession, critical areas for key species in the concession should be designated in the concession management plan as special protection areas for biodiversity conservation and it should be ensured that they are not logged or disturbed.- Ongoing education and awareness initiatives focusing on day visiting tourists from Phnom Penh should be expanded and bird conservation issues highlighted.
Overlaps with Kirirom National Park
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kirirom (Cambodia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kirirom-iba-cambodia on 23/12/2024.
